Brake head, shoe, and hanger.



No. 638,229. Patented Deo. 5, |899.

\ L. B. FERGUSON.

BRAKE HEAD, SHOE, AND HANGER.

(Application led Mar. 24, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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LOUIS BUCK FERGUSON, OF MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI.

BRAKE HEAD, SHOE, AND HANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming' part 0f Letters Patent N0. 638,229, datedDecember 5, 1899.

Application iled March 24, 1899. Serial No. 710.329. (No model.)

T a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS BUCK FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Meridian, in the county of Lauderdale and State ofMississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in BrakeHeads, Shoes, and Hangers; and I do declare the following to beafull,clear, and exact description oi' the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings,and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in brake heads, shoes, and hangersfor locomotive driving-wheels and for other wheels upon whichbrake-shoes of this class are generally used.

The special objects of the invention are to provide a brake head andshoe which is re- Versible for either right or left hand wheels oropposite sides of the saine wheel and is capable of being rapidly andeasily applied or removed. Double lugs on the shoe, closely fitting intosuitable pockets or spaces in the head, reduce to a minimum the dangerof losing the shoe when worn. The lugs are so spaced and thereceiving-pockets so arranged that the head and shoe can be drawntogether by a single key, so as to form practically one solid piece, noweakening of the parts being made necessary by the use of bolts tosecure the head and shoe together. The adjusting of the shoe to thewheel is positive. By means of an arm projecting from the hanger or thebrake-beam and provided with an adjustingscrew a simple and reliableadjustment is secured. Where the heads are suspended by a cross bar orbeam connecting both heads, as is frequently the case for the front pairof driving-Wheels in a locomotive,`I provide a yoke to be secured uponthe brake-beam and carrying an arm in which is located theadjusting-screw. The placing of the adjustingscrew in an arm below thepoint of suspension of the head relieves the screw of substantially allweight and insures a most reliable adjustment.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a side elevation, partly insection, of a brake shoe and head and hanger embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is a sectional plan View of the head on line 2 2, Fig. 1,omitting the wedge and hanger. Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line 3 3,Fig. 1, the adjustingscrew being omitted. Fig. 4 is a section on line 44, Fig. l, omitting the wedge and hanger. Fig. 5 is a cross-section of ashoe for a plain tire. Fig. 6 is a cross-section of a shoe foraflangedtire, and Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of head andadjusting device.

The head A is a skeleton casting having two parallel cheek-pieces d,connected by cross-bars ci', and other members hereinafter mentioned.The front edges of the cheeks are curved to correspond with theperiphery of the wheel and to afford a solid bearing for the back of theshoe B, whose back and face are similarly curved. The face of the shoeis suitably shaped to lit the wheel, being, for instance, ilat, withnarrow marginal ribs for a plain tire, as shown in Fig. 5, or groovedfor a iianged` tire, as shown in Fig. 6.

The upper cross-bar a is preferablyflush with the edges of the cheeks a,while the lower cross-bars are set back slightly, the recessionincreasing with each bar from the upper to the lower. On the back of theshoe are eyes or perforated lugs h, the perforations being arranged tolie in part back of the rear faces of the cross-bars a when the shoe inin position. The lugs t freely between two adjacent cross-bars, so thatthe shoe is thereby prevented from slipping lengthwise on the head.

A tapered curved wedge or key C passes down through the perforations inthe lugs b behind the cross-bars a', the rear faces of the bars and thelower faces of the perforations being surfaced to fit the key. Thefunction of the curved key is to draw the shoe against the edges of thecheeks a, so that the shoe and the head form aiirm and'solid structure.

The hanger D has an eye d, which fits between the cheeks a and issecured by a pin or bolt E. The cheeks are suitably strengthened atthese points, being preferably provided on the outside and inside withlow flanges a2, surrounding the holes ai for the pin. The hanger has anarm d extending below the eye d, preferably to a point behind the lowerlug b. An adj usting-screw F here passes through the arm and bearsagainst a cross-bar a4. By turning the screw the relative positions ofthe hanger and the head can be altered. A lock-nut fsecures the screwwhen the proper adjustment has been made. The location of this adjusting-screw below the point of suspension and not far out of theVertical plane thereof results in relieving said screw of practicallyall the weight of the head, so that a more reliable adjustment ispossible and there is less liability of accidental disarrangement.

The head is provided with suitable means for connecting it with thebrake rod or beam. In Fig. l the cheek-pieces are extended rearwardlyand slotted out at a5 to receive the end of the rod. Webs a@ connect thecheeks around these slots, and preferably there are anges a7 surroundingbolt-holes in the upper and lower webs. Strengthening ribs and flangesas are also used wherever it is thought desirable.

It will be observed that the head is reversible side for side, so thatit can be used on Aeither side of the truck or on either side of awheel. It is preferred to so space the crossbars and arrange the lugs onthe shoe that the shoe can be reversed end for end and side for side inorder that it may be changed when unevenly worn. Moreover, thisreversibility enables one pattern of shoe to serve for both sides of thetruck-and both sides of a'wheel.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7 the cheeks are perforatedtransversely to receive a brake-beam G, and a yoke D is tted between thecheeks and secured on said beam by a set-screw cl2. The adjusting-screwF is carried by an arm d3 on the yoke.

This invention has given excellent service yin practice and has themerit of simplicity,

strength, and adaptability in the lines pointed out above.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters PatjV ent, is-

l. A skeleton brake-head, having two simi- `lar cheek-pieces, andcross-bars connecting said cheek-pieces, some of said cross-bars beingset back from the front edge of the cheekpieces, substantially asdescribed.

2. A skeleton brake-head, having two simi-` larcheek-pieces, andcross-bars connecting said cheek-pieces, some of said cross-bars beingset back from the front edge of the cheekpieces, the recessionincreasing from the upper to the lower cross-bar, substantially asdescribed.

3. A skeleton brake-head, having two similar cheek-pieces, andcross-bars connecting said cheek-pieces, pairs of said cross-bars beingspaced at equal distances apart, whereby a shoe having similar lugs canbe applied to said head either end uppermost, substantially asdescribed.

4f. The combination with a skeleton brakehead, having two similarcheek-pieces and cross-bars connecting said cheek-pieces, of abrake-shoe having perforated lugs fitting between pairs of adjacentbars, and a key adapted to pass through said lugs in lthe rear of thecross-bars, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination with a skeleton brakehead, having cheekspiecesconnected by crossbars having'their rear faceslying in the same line, ofa brake-shoe having perforated lugs tting between pairs of adjacentbars, and a key adapted to pass through said lugs and bear against allof said cross-bars, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a brake-shoe having similar vperforated lugs enits back, of a brake-head having cheek-pieces connected by cross-bars'spaced equidistantly in pairs, the space between the bars in each pairbeingthe same as the length of the lugs, whereby .said shoe can beplaced upon the head with either end uppermost, substantially asdescribed.

7. The combination with a skeletonbrakehead having two similarcheek-pieces provided with transverse holes, ofa brake-beam attached tothe head by passing transversely through said holes, ayoke fitting onsaid beam between the cheek-pieces and having van arm projecting down inthe rear of the head, a set-screw for securing the yoke to the beam adjustably, and an adj usting-screw carried by the arm and bearing againstthe head, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS BUCK FERGUSON.

Vitnesses:

I. G. ToMLINsoN, J. JEFFERIS.

